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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Object Classifiers</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Many elements in UML model classifications (such as Classes and Actors), and other elements then model instances of such classifications (such as Objects, Actors again,and Sequence diagram objects). These instance elements represent real things in a run-time scenario; for example, a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person</span><span class="f_BodyText"> element named </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Joe Smith</span><span class="f_BodyText">. In UML this is written as </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Joe Smith: Person</span><span class="f_BodyText">.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">You can define a classifier first, and then instances of that classifier. Alternatively, as a model develops from a rough sketch to a detailed design, many objects become examples of a defined Class, so in the early analysis phase you might model a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Joe Smith</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Jane Smith</span><span class="f_BodyText">, and later a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person</span><span class="f_BodyText"> Class from which </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Joe</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Jane</span><span class="f_BodyText"> are instantiated.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Enterprise Architect enables you to associate an Object with its template element (its classifier), such as a Class. Doing this greatly increases the descriptive power of the model in capturing the functionality and responsibility of Objects at run-time and their associated state. For example, if you describe a </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person</span><span class="f_BodyText"> Class with attributes such as </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Age, Name,Address</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Sex</span><span class="f_BodyText">, and functions such as </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">GetAge</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">GetName</span><span class="f_BodyText">, then when you associate your Object with the </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person</span><span class="f_BodyText"> Class it is seen to have all the </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person</span><span class="f_BodyText"> Class behavior and state (as well as inherited state and behavior from </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Person's </span><span class="f_BodyText">ancestors).</span></p>
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<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Tip:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">This is a powerful means of moving your model from the analysis phase into detailed design.</span></p>
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